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Kamehameha I (c1758-1819)
ia Kahakuha akoi Wahinepio Kekāuluohi Kekikipaa Manono II Kānekapōlei (unmarried) |issue =Liholiho (Kamehameha II) Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III) Nāhi ena ena Kamāmalu Kīna u (Ka ahumanu II) Kahō anokū Kīna u Pauli Ka ōleiokū (illegitimate) |full name =Kalani Pai ea Wohi o Kaleikini Keali ikui Kamehameha o Iolani i Kaiwikapu kaui Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea |house =House of Kamehameha |father =Keōua |mother =Kekuiapoiwa II |birth_date =c. 1758 |birth_place =Kapakai, Kokoiki, Moʻokini Heiau, Kohala, Hawai i Island |death_date = (aged 61?) |death_place =Kamakahonu, Kailua-Kona, Kona, Hawai i island |place of burial =unknown }} Kamehameha I ( ; ca. 1758 – May 8, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, conquered the Hawaiian Islands and formally established the Kingdom of Hawai i in 1810. By developing alliances with the major Pacific colonial powers, Kamehameha preserved Hawai i's independence under his rule. Kamehameha is remembered for the Kanawai Mamalahoe, the "Law of the Splintered Paddle", which protects human rights of non-combatants in times of battle. Kamehameha's full Hawaiian name is Kalani Pai ea Wohi o Kaleikini Keali ikui Kamehameha o Iolani i Kaiwikapu kaui Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea. Legendary birth Although there is some debate as to the precise year of his birth, Hawaiian legends claimed that a great king would one day unite the islands, and that the sign of his birth would be a comet. Halley's comet was visible from Hawai i in 1758 and it is likely Kamehameha was born shortly after its appearance. Traditional chants indicate he was born in the month of ikuwa (winter) or around November. According to Hawaiian historians Samuel Kamakau and later Abraham Fornander , Kamehameha was born in 1736, but this date has been widely contested by earlier Hawaiian historians such as James Jackson Jarves, eyewitness observations from contemporary sources and modern historical consensus. |year= 1936 |volume= |publisher=Hawaiian Historical Society |pages=6–18}} |year= 1933 |volume= |publisher=Hawaiian Historical Society |pages=6–65}} He was known as Pai ea, which means "hard-shelled crab". ea |q=pai'ea |accessdate= September 28, 2010 }} His father by blood was Keōua. His mother was Chiefess Keku iapoiwa of the Kohala district on the island of Hawai i. Keōua was the great-grandson of Keaweikekahiali iokamoku, who had once ruled a large portion of the island of Hawai i. When Keaweikekahiali iokamoku died, war broke out over succession between his sons, Kalani Kama Ke eaumoku Nui and Kalaninui amamao, and a rival chief, Alapa inuiakauaua. Alapa i emerged victorious over the two brothers, and their orphan sons (including Kamehameha's father) were absorbed into his clan. Other accounts indicate that he was son of the king of Maui Kahekili II. This occurrence is common in ancient Hawaiian society and such children were called ali i po olu, double-headed chiefs, with two fathers. When Kamehameha (Pai ea) was born, Alapa i ordered the child killed. One of his priests (kahuna) had warned him that a fiery light in the sky would signal the birth of a "killer of chiefs". Alapa i, nervous at the thought of this child eventually usurping his rule, decided to take no chances. Pai ea's parents, however, had anticipated this. As soon as he was born, he was given into the care of Nae ole, another noble from Kohala, and disappeared from sight. The chiefess Kaha opulani nursed the child along with her own daughter Kuakane. |year= 1912 |volume= |publisher=Hawaiian Historical Society |pages=6–8}} They raised Pai ea for the first few years of his life. Five years after his birth, Alapa i, perhaps remorseful of his actions, invited the child back to live with his family. There under the guidance of his kumu (teacher), Kekuhaupi o, he learned the ways of court diplomacy and war. His father, thought to have been poisoned or prayed to death by Alapa i, died a few years later. Kekuhaupi o remained a faithful and trusted advisor to Pai ea until the accidental death of the loyal kahu during a sham battle. Another story says the name Pai ea was given to Kamehameha after he first distinguished himself as a warrior in a battle between Maui and Hawai i island in 1775–1779. Pai ea is said to have had a dour disposition, and acquired the name he is best known for today: Ka mehameha, from the Hawaiian language for "the lonely one". Unification of Hawaii When Alapa i died, his position was succeeded by his son Keawea opala. Kalani ōpu u, challenged his rule, and was backed by his nephew Kamehameha. In fierce fighting at Kealakekua Bay, Keawea opala was slain and Kalani ōpu u claimed victory. For his loyal service to his uncle, Kamehameha was made Kalani ōpu u's aide. In 1779, Kamehameha again traveled with Kalani ōpu u to Kealakekua Bay. This time he, among other young chiefs accompanying their senior chief, met with Captain James Cook. Cook was perhaps mistaken by some Native Hawaiians to be Lono, the Hawaiian god of fertility. During Kamehameha's first contact with non-Hawaiians, he may have stayed aboard Cook's ship, the , for at least one night. The Conquest of Hawai i Island Raised in the royal court of his uncle Kalani ōpu , Kamehameha achieved prominence in 1782, upon Kalani ōpu u's death. While the kingship was inherited by Kalani ōpu u's son Kiwala o, Kamehameha was given a prominent religious position, guardianship of the Hawaiian god of war, Kūka ilimoku, as well as the district of Waipi o valley. There was already bad blood between the two cousins, caused when Kamehameha presented a slain ali i's body to the gods instead of to Kiwala o. When a group of chiefs from the Kona district offered to back Kamehameha against Kiwala o, he accepted eagerly. The five Kona chiefs supporting Kamehameha were: Ke eaumoku Pāpa iahiahi (Kamehameha's father-in-law), Keaweaheulu Kalua apana (Kamehameha's uncle), Kekūhaupi o (Kamehameha's warrior teacher), Kame eiamoku and Kamanawa (twin uncles of Kamehameha). Kiwala o was soon defeated in the battle of Moku ohai, and Kamehameha took control of the districts of Kohala, Kona, and Hamakua on the island of Hawaii i. Kamehameha then moved against the district of Puna in 1790 deposing Chief Keawema uhili. Keōua Kuahu ula, exiled to his home in Ka ū, took advantage of Kamehameha's absence and led an uprising. When Kamehameha returned with his army to put down the rebellion, Keōua fled past the Kilauea volcano, which erupted and killed nearly a third of his warriors from poisonous gas. Questioning a kahuna on how best to go about securing the rest of the island, Kamehameha resolved to construct a temple (heiau) to Kūka ilimoku, as well as lay an ali i's body on it. When the Pu ukoholā Heiau was completed in 1791, Kamehameha invited Keōua to meet with him. Keōua may have been dispirited by his recent losses. He may have mutilated himself before landing so as to make himself an imperfect sacrificial victim. As he stepped on shore, one of Kamehameha's chiefs threw a spear at him. By some accounts he dodged it, but was then cut down by musket fire. Caught by surprise, Keōua's bodyguards were killed. With Keōua dead, and his supporters captured or slain, Kamehameha became King of Hawai i island. Unification of Hawai i under Kamehameha Kamehameha's dreams included far more than the island of Hawaii i; with the counsel of his favorite wife Ka ahumanu, who became one of Hawaii i's most powerful figures, he set about planning to conquer the rest of the Hawaiian Islands. Help came from British and American traders, who sold guns and ammunition to Kamehameha. Two westerners who lived on Hawaii i island, Isaac Davis and John Young, became advisors of Kamehameha and trained his troops in the use of firearms. With his new army, Kamehameha felt confident enough to move on the neighboring islands of Maui and O ahu, already weakened by a war of succession that had broken out between King Kahekili II's son and brother. Kamehameha may or may not have known that his rival, King Kalanikūpule, also possessed firearms, and was planning a move against him when the ali i nui of Hawai i invaded those islands. In 1795, Kamehameha set sail with an armada of 960 war canoes and 10,000 soldiers. He quickly secured the lightly defended islands of Maui and Moloka i at the Battle of Kawela. The army moved on the island of O ahu, landing his troops at Wai alae and Waikīkī. What Kamehameha did not know was that one of his commanders, a high-ranking ali i named Ka iana, had defected to Kalanikūpule. Ka iana assisted in the cutting of notches into the Nu uanu Pali mountain ridge; these notches, like those on a castle turret, would serve as gunports for Kalanikūpule's cannon. In a series of skirmishes, Kamehameha's forces were able to push back Kalanikūpule's men until the latter was cornered on the Pali Lookout. While Kamehameha moved on the Pali, his troops took heavy fire from the cannon. In desperation, he assigned two divisions of his best warriors to climb to the Pali to attack the cannons from behind; they surprised Kalanikūpule's gunners and took control of the weapons. With the loss of their guns, Kalanikūpule's troops fell into disarray and were cornered by Kamehameha's still-organized troops. A fierce battle ensued, with Kamehameha's forces forming an enclosing wall. By using their traditional Hawai ian spears, as well as muskets and cannon, they were able to kill most of Kalanikūpule's forces. Over 400 men were forced off the Pali's cliff, a drop of 1,000 feet. Ka iana was killed during the action; Kalanikūpule was captured some time later and sacrificed to Kūka ilimoku. Kamehameha was now ruler of all the Hawaiian Islands from O ahu to the east, but the western islands of Kaua i and Ni ihau continued to elude him. Using Honolulu as a base, he had a forty-ton ship built. When he attempted to invade the western islands in 1796, Ka iana's brother Namakeha led a rebellion on Hawai i island against his rule, and Kamehameha was forced to return and put down the insurrection. In 1803 he tried again, but this time, disease broke out among his warriors; Kamehameha himself fell ill, though he later recovered. During this time, Kamehameha was amassing the largest armada Hawai i had ever seen - foreign-built schooners and massive war canoes, armed with cannon and carrying his vast army. Kaumuali i, ali i nui of Kaua i, watched as Kamehameha built up his invading force and decided he would have a better chance in negotiation than battle. He may also have been influenced by foreign merchants, who saw the continuing feud between Kamehameha and Kaumuali i as bad for the sandalwood trade. In 1810, Kaumuali i became a vassal of Kamehameha, who therefore emerged as the sole sovereign of the unified Hawaiian islands. King of Hawaii As king, Kamehameha took several steps to ensure that the islands remained a united realm even after his death. He unified the legal system and he used the products he collected in taxes to promote trade with Europe and the United States. Kamehameha did not allow non-Hawaiians to own land; they would not be able to until the Great Mahele of 1848. This edict ensured the islands' independence even while many of the other islands of the Pacific succumbed to the colonial powers. In fact, the Kingdom of Hawai i that Kamehameha established retained its independence, except for a five-month British occupation in 1843, until it was annexed by the United States in 1898. It was this legacy that earned Kamehameha the epithet "Napoleon of the Pacific" (Napoleona o Pākīpika in the Hawaiian language). Kamehameha also instituted the Mamalahoe Kanawai, the Law of the Splintered Paddle. Its origins derived from before the unification of the Island of Hawai i, in 1782, when Kamehameha, during a raid, caught his foot in a rock. Two local fisherman, fearful of the great warrior, hit Kamehameha hard on the head with a large paddle, which actually broke the paddle. Kamehameha was stunned and left for dead, allowing the fisherman and his companion to escape. Twelve years later, the same fisherman was brought before Kamehameha for punishment. King Kamehameha instead blamed himself for attacking innocent people, gave the fisherman gifts of land and set them free. He declared the new law, "Let every elderly person, woman, and child lie by the roadside in safety". This law, which provided for the safety of noncombatants in wartime, is estimated to have saved thousands of lives during Kamehameha's campaigns. It became the first written law of the Kingdom of Hawai i, was included in the state constitution, and has influenced many subsequent humanitarian laws of war. Although he ended human sacrifice, Kamehameha was to the last a follower of the Hawaiian religion and Hawaiian traditions (such as Lua). He believed so strongly in his religion and culture that he would execute his subjects for breaches of the strict rules called kapu. Although he entertained Christians, he did not appear to take them seriously. Later life After about 1812, Kamehameha spent his time at Kamakahonu, a compound he built in Kailua-Kona. It is now the site of King Kamehameha's Beach Hotel, the starting and finishing points of the Ironman World Championship Triathlon. As the custom of the time, he took several wives and had many children, although he would outlive about half of them. When Kamehameha died May 8, 1819, his body was hidden by his trusted friends, Hoapili and Ho olulu. The mana, or power of a person, was considered to be sacred. As per the ancient custom, his body was buried hidden because of his mana. His final resting place remains unknown. Honors decorated with floral leis on Kamehameha Day]] stands in Honolulu across from ʻIolani Palace]] Statues Five major statues exist, where each of the statues vary slightly from each other in details such as having different weaponry, gilding or painting: *The original cast: the ship, bound for Honolulu on which it was being shipped from Europe sank off the Falkland Islands but in 1912 the original was salvaged, repaired and erected in Kapa au on the Big Island of Hawai i; *A replacement statue was erected in his honor by King Kalākaua in 1883 at Ali iōlani Hale i's judicial system in Honolulu; *One is located in Hilo, Hawai i at the north end of the Wailoa River State Recreation Area, where it enjoys a view of Hilo Bay; *One of smaller size is located in an outdoor Polynesian shopping center, across from the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada; and *One in the National Statuary Hall Collection at the United States Capitol as a representation of the State of Hawai i. This is located in the New Visitors Center in the Capitol. Other legacy *In 1865 King Kamehameha V created the Royal Order of Kamehameha I society and Royal Order of Kamehameha I decoration in his honor. *In 1871 Kamehameha V decreed a holiday, Kamehameha Day, in his honor. This holiday is still celebrated annually on June 11. *Kamehameha Schools were founded in the will of Bernice Pauahi Bishop, at the time of her death in 1884 the heir of the Kamehameha estate. Her intention was to bring education and thus hope for a future to the rapidly declining number of native Hawaiians. The first school opened in 1887. *The defences of the entrance to Pearl Harbor were named Fort Kamehameha in 1909. *A C-17 Globemaster III, P-153, was named the "Spirit of Kamehameha", while a Benjamin Franklin class submarine, launched in 1965 and decommissioned in 2002, was christened the . *Kamehameha I appears on the state quarter coin of Hawaii *The PC game Civilization V includes Kamehameha as a downloadable leader to play as. *Kamehameha I appears on the 1975 Hawaii license plate. Family House of Kamehameha family tree Issue Ancestry iapoiwa II |4= 4. Ke eaumoku Nui |5= 5. Kamaka imoku |6= 6. Haae-a-Mahi |7= 7. Kekelakekeokalani-a-Keawe |8= 8. Keaweikekahialiʻiokamoku =#14 |9= 9. Kalanikauleleaiwi =#13, 15 |10= 10. Ku-a-Nu uanau |11= 11. Umiula-a-Kaahumanu |12= 12. Kauaua-a-Mahi |13= 13. Kalanikauleleaiwi =#9, 15 |14= 14. Keaweikekahialiʻiokamoku =#8 |15= 15. Kalanikauleleaiwi =#9, 13 |16= 16. Kanaloaikaiwilena Kapulehu =#28 |17= 17. Keakealaniwahine =#19, 27, 29, 31 |18= 18. Kaneikaiwilani =#26, 30 |19= 19. Keakealaniwahine =#17, 27, 29, 31 |20= 20. Nu uanu |21= 21. Kealomako |22= 22. Mahiolole =#24 |23= 23. Kanekukaailani =#25 |24= 24. Mahiolole =#22 |25= 25. Kanekukaailani =#23 |26= 26. Kaneikaiwilani =#18, 30 |27= 27. Keakealaniwahine =#17, 19, 29, 31 |28= 28. Kanaloaikaiwilena Kapulehu =#16 |29= 29. Keakealaniwahine =#17, 19, 27, 31 |30= 30. Kaneikaiwilani =#18, 26 |31= 31. Keakealaniwahine =#17, 19, 27, 29 }} References External links *Kamehameha Schools Biography of Kamehameha *GoHawaii biography of Kamehameha *The Story of Kamehameha |- 1795-1819 ahumanu}} ō]]}} i}} 1782-1795 ahu}} 1795-1810 i]]}} i and Ni ihau}} 1810-1819 Category:Royalty of the Kingdom of Hawaii Category:Founding monarchs Category:House of Kamehameha Category:18th-century monarchs Category:Monarchs of the Hawaiian Islands Category:Hawaiian warriors Category:Hawaiian adoptees (hānai) Category:Famous people Category:Non-SMW people articles